Brandon Graham on the "Middle Area" After Football: Faith, Saying No, and Life Beyond the Game
We waited two or three years for this conversation. Brandon Graham sat down with me and Kenny at Rez Camp Performance, where he has been training with his kids. It was recorded before he announced his decision about the future, and it's one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show.
The "middle area"
I asked Brandon about the pull he was feeling, because a lot of athletes are in that place between the game and what's next. His answer: "I've just been praying... help me make the decision... so I can know, so I can move on, because it don't feel good being in that middle."
Even after a long career, he said, "It don't matter if I played 15, 20 year." The hardest part is that "we have been under a schedule for so long." His plan is the same one that built everything else: baby steps and patience. And the question that matters most: "What am I doing to add value to this world?"
Faith
Brandon traced his faith back to the Eagles Bible study room. He described watching men like Chris Maragos and Trey Burton stand up and run the whole study, and he said it "transformed my whole mindset." He took that foundation with him everywhere he went, and he says his prayers changed over time from "help me, help me" to praying for other people.
The "bust" label and staying
The first-round pick had a knee injury early, then a stretch where the label followed him. He almost left Philadelphia, and his wife talked sense into him. What got him through: "You got to have perseverance. You got to be able to fight in those hard hard moments." And on being a first-rounder: "That ain't why I got here. I'm here to leave a legacy."
Learning to say no
The biggest lesson from his financial advisor may surprise you. "One thing I learned was how to say no." He talked about the pressure to take care of family and friends, and he warned young players: everybody can't go with you, and "no will show you exactly where people's hearts are." His advice to young athletes is to keep solid people around you, watch your money, and remember that football is not forever.
Raising his kids
Brandon does not want his kids to feel they have to be him. "I want my son to have his own identity." He wants them to grind for what they get, and he prays with them at night.
The keep going moment
Brandon named the knee injury as his moment: "Just keep on going, like you said... don't give up. Don't quit." That's what this show is about.
For me it meant a lot to be in that room. I told him our friendship helped me keep chasing my dream when I was no longer in the NFL. And I shared that I had just taken a part-time player development job at West Chester University, the result of learning to close chapters and stop running.
Watch the full 1 hour 42 minute conversation above. If it moved you, subscribe to The Keep Going Podcast. And if you're in the middle right now, keep going.